southwest association of college and university housing officers · 2018. 4. 1. ·...

Southwest Association of College and University Housing Officers

Newsletter–Post-conference 2017

FOLLOW US AT: twitter.com/SWACUHO

In This Issue

From The President ................................................................ 3

Executive Board 2017–2018 ................................................. 4

Committee Chairs ................................................................. 4

Up Coming Events ................................................................. 5

Newsletter and Communications Committee ............................. 5

Events .................................................................................. 5

From the President-Elect .......................................................... 6

Texas State Director ............................................................... 8

Arkansas State Director ........................................................ 10

SWACUHO 2017 Award Winners ....................................... 12

Exhibitors .......................................................................... 16

Mid-level Report .................................................................. 20

Articles .............................................................................. 21

SWACUHO- First Experience ................................................ 22

Successful Relationships through Mentoring ............................ 24

Facilities 101–Water: Comfort and Domestic .......................... 26

10 Lessons Learned in Graduate School Through Classes,

My Assistantship, and Overall Life ..................................... 28

Conference Photo Gallery .................................................... 32

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Post-conference 2017

FOLLOW US AT: www.facebook.com/swacuhonation

From The PresidentHello SWACUHO Friends,

Happy New Year! Ok, it isn’t New Year’s for the rest of the world, but it is a new year for SWACUHO. First and foremost I would like to thank the previous Executive Board for all of their tireless work throughout the year. Tanya Massey and Kenny Mauk have been amazing mentors. Tanya, thank you in advance for one more year in your new position as Past President. I’m looking forward to working with you and the new Executive Board this year. And for the newly elected/appointed Executive Board/Committee Chair members, thank you for agreeing to give up precious time to work on behalf of SWACUHO. It will be a blessing for you and for all of us as members to work together to continue this association in a vibrant and productive way.

Many thanks to our Little Rock Host Committee under the leadership of Rikki Turner from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock! All I can say is WOW! From great accommodations, to fabulous food, to finding a clinic for this clumsy soul, you guys “Rocked it”! Speaking of that, thank you to everyone for being patient with me after my injury. I was totally in brain fog during the whole conference, thanks to my serious fall in a parking lot just one hour before my plane left for Little Rock. Don’t feel sorry for me though because it was a shopping incident.

Thank you to everyone who presented at this conference. The program going forward to ACUHO-I to represent SWACUHO is “Speak Up! Advocating for Your Identities in the Midst of Scrutiny and Criticism”, by Tiffany Bromfield and Wendy Wells from the University of North Texas. Congratulations Tiffany and Wendy!

And most of all, thank you all for coming to the conference. Without you, there would not be a conference. I think we all enjoy seeing friends and making new ones.

Now is the time for us to begin working with the new Host Committee under the leadership of Kyle Estes from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. I hope we get the opportunity to meet Boko the Bobcat. Some of their notable alumni include President Lyndon B. Johnson, George Strait, Tomas Rivera and Ponce Kiah Marchelle “Heloise” Cruse Evans! You may want to take a couple of extra days to float the river or visit the amazing Outlet Malls. Check out these websites: www.txstate.edu/ and www.ci.san-marcos.tx.us/.

May you all be blessed with a happy spring season!

Janis

Janis J. Haney

President of SWACUHO Texas Tech University


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Executive Board 2017–2018

Committee ChairsEmmaLe Davis Time & Place University of Arkansas [email protected]

J.C. Stoner Research, Assessment, and Information University of Texas at Arlington [email protected]

Beth Eppinger Recognition and Awards University of Arkansas–Ft. Smith [email protected]

Jose Valenciano Program Co-Chair Texas Tech University [email protected]

Eric Johnson Program Co-Chair University of North Texas [email protected]

Diane Brittingham ACUHO-I Board University of Oklahoma [email protected]

James Fairchild Professional Development Co-Chair University of North Texas [email protected]

Kaytie Farrell Professional Development Co-Chair University of Texas at Dallas [email protected]

Scott Cooke Placement Texas Tech University [email protected]

Sara Hazel McCoy Co-Chair Newsletters and Communications Texas A&M University [email protected]

Jenise Wooten Co-Chair Newsletters and Communications Texas Tech University [email protected]

Brandi Bowen Mid - Level Administration University of Texas at Arlington [email protected]

Rikki Turner Host Chair 2017 University of Arkansas– Little Rock [email protected]

Kyle Estes Host Chair 2018 Texas State University [email protected]

Andrea Allan Exhibits & Displays University of Arkansas [email protected]

Annette Sawadogo Diversity & Social Justice Texas Tech University [email protected]

Jill Eckardt Chief Housing Officer Steering Texas Woman’s University [email protected]

Southwest Association of College & University Housing Offi cers

The 2017-2018 Executive Board and Committee Chairs

Tanya Massey Past President

Oklahoma State University

[email protected]

Maggie Guzman Secretary

Texas A&M University [email protected]

Megan M.Witherspoon Treasurer

University of Arkansas

[email protected]

Meredith “Mere” Maddox

Technology CoordinatorTexas Woman’s University

[email protected]

Susan Strobel-Hogan

HistorianSouthern Methodist University

[email protected]

Katy PeltonTexas State Director

Sam Houston State

University

[email protected]

Erica TownsendOklahoma State Director

University of Central

Oklahoma

[email protected]

Jose ValencianoProgram Co-ChairTexas Tech University

[email protected]

Eric JohnsonProgram Co-Chair

University of

North Texas

[email protected]

EmmaLe DavisTime & Place


[email protected]

Marc GliddenArkansas State Director

University of Arkansas–

Little Rock

[email protected]

Adonis ThompsonPresident-Elect

Arkansas State University

[email protected]

Janis J. HaneyPresident

Texas Tech University

[email protected]

J.C. StonerResearch, Assessment,

and InformationUniversity of Texas

at Arlington

[email protected]

Beth EppingerRecognition and Awards


at Ft. Smith

[email protected]

Executive Board

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Upcoming Events

We want to hear from you: Submit your events and articles at

[email protected]

Lauren CarterUniversity of Central [email protected]

Cassie CochranTexas Tech [email protected]

Joshua A. CrookTexas Tech [email protected]

Kevin DaoUniversity of Central [email protected]

Chelsea FoxUniversity of North [email protected]

Maggie GuzmanTexas A&M [email protected]

Ricky HarrisUniversity of Arkansas–Fort [email protected]

Katy PeltonSam Houston State [email protected]

Carrie OwensUniversity of Arkansas–Little [email protected]

Glenn PrinceHenderson State [email protected]

Brianna RogersTexas A&M [email protected]

Jen SommersTexas A&M [email protected]

Cody SchmittingerUniversity of Arkansas–[email protected]

Wesley SmithUniversity of Arkansas–Pine [email protected]

Kyle SmithLamar [email protected]

Olivia StankeyOklahoma State [email protected]

Newsletter and Communications Committee

ACUHO-I Professional Standards Institute June 15-17, 2017 University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI

ACUHO-I 2017 Annual ConferenceJune 17-20, 2017 Providence, RI

ACUHO-I Intern Drive-in ConferenceJuly 6-7, 2017Texas Tech University

TPE @ TCUDate TBDTexas Christian University

ACUHO-I Business Operations ConferenceOctober 2-4, 2017 Atlanta, Georgia

SWACUHO Mid-Year Planning MeetingOctober 9-10, 2017 San Marcos, TX

ACUHO-I/APPA Housing Facilities Conference October 16-19, 2017 Atlanta, Georgia

ACUHO-I Living-Learning Programs Conference October 28-30, 2017 Atlanta, Georgia

SWACUHO 2018 February 18-20, 2018San Marcos, TX


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As the 2017 SWACUHO Annual Conference closed, I had a lot of time for reflection on my way back to my campus. This has been an amazing journey within this organization, and I’m amazed at all I have learned, been able to do, and inspired to do for the years to come. SWACUHO has truly become home and family for me.

As I step into my new role within the organization, I have plans and goals that I would love to accomplish, but I know this will not and cannot be done alone. I look forward to working with the Executive Board and pushing for more successful endeavors for our organization and working with the committee chairs and their members to be more effective and increase their reach. I strive to speak with members of staff on all levels, to address concerns that we in the region are facing. Together we can continue to make strides along this path.

From the President-Elect

I spoke in my campaign about reaching out to and bridging the gap between the professionals of SWACUHO and the up-and-comers within SWACURH. I also want to recruit Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving Institutions, and religiously affiliated institutions into the fold. These actions are something that I feel are vital in order to continue to have a thriving organization in the future. Attending RA level events and encouraging the best and brightest in our field to participate on the professional level will help to spark more and more interest in our field. Also making sure to get our colleagues in underrepresented institutions involved, while expanding the networks and knowledge base within the region.

It has been a great year and I look forward to serving you all in this upcoming one. May you continue to be leaders on your campuses and constantly strive to do more.

Adonis Thompson

President-Elect Arkansas State University

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Greetings SWACUHO TEXAS

Texas State Director

We would like to thank everyone who attended SWACUHO 2017. Below is an overview of the Texas State Caucus meeting held on March 7, 2017. We have increased member schools to 52 Texas institutions. Don’t forget about sub accounts! Start here with a video tutorial and inquire with your CHO for needed username and password.

General Discussion During Texas Caucus

• Feedback and Repercussion from Senate Bill 11 allowing concealed carry of a firearm on campus

• Senate Bill 6 relating to regulations and policies for public bathrooms and changing facilities

• House Bill 355: relating to prohibiting certain sex offenders from residing on campus

• 60x30TX (www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/6862.PDF)

• Inquiry about recruitment and inclusion of HBCU institutions was voiced. Please stay tuned for more information regarding this initiative.

Katy Pelton,

Texas State Director [email protected]

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SUMMER 2017 EVENTS

ACUHO-I Intern Drive-in Conference

Date: July 6-7, 2017

Sponsored By: Texas Tech University

Event Information: This drive in conference is geared to ACUHO-I interns. Interns can arrive on July 6th and also stay the evening of July 7th if needed. More information to come.

Contact: John Mcavoy, [email protected]

TPE @ TCU Date: TBD

Sponsored By: Texas Christian University

Event Information: The program is designed for ACUHO-I interns primarily but we also welcome graduate students who stayed for the summer as well. For each institution that sends graduate students and interns, TCU hopes they also send professional staff and job descriptions that can be used for the mock interviews. Job descriptions and interviews for the following functional areas are welcome and encouraged: Hall Director, Leadership, FYE, Student Activities, and Fraternity and Sorority Life. Participating institutions do NOT need a vacancy to participate.

Contact: Miles Oller, [email protected]

If you need anything, have suggestions, comments or concerns please contact me.


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Greetings from Arkansas!

Thank you to all who attended the SWACUHO 2017 Annual Conference here in Little Rock, AR! It was great seeing such a turnout from the region for this conference! A huge thank you to the many volunteers who helped make the event a huge success!

As I step into the role of Arkansas State Director, I look forward to increasing membership with schools within the state. Although membership is my primary goal, I am to increase communication among Arkansas members and increase Arkansas representation at the annual meetings. This year I was very excited to see 54 of you at the Arkansas State Caucus during the 2017 Annual Conference!

Please feel free to reach out to me regarding any questions you may have and I look forward to meeting many of you over the next two years!

Arkansas State Director

Marc D. Glidden

Arkansas State Director University of Arkansas–Little Rock [email protected]

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CONGRATULATIONS to those who were recognized in Little Rock! Here are the 2017 SWACUHO award winners:

Gene Ward Outstanding Student Leader Award

Kayla Fischer University of Houston

Jacquelyn Elias Southern Methodist University

Molly Danielson Oklahoma State University

Bob Huss Outstanding Graduate Student Award

Briana Cresswell University of Central Arkansas

Luke E. Hams Oklahoma State University

Jeni Gruber Texas Tech University

Jasmine Turner University of North Texas

SWACUHO 2017 Award Winners

Beth Eppinger

Recognition & Awards Chair University of Arkansas – Fort Smith

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Nancy Murphy-Chadwick New Professional of Distinction Award

Elizabeth McDonald University of Houston

Carrie Cooper University of Houston

James L. Gibson Exceptional Service Award

Kenny Mauk University of Houston

Individual Diversity Award

Dr. Tomás Sanchez University of North Texas

Institutional Diversity Award



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SWACUHO 2017 Award Winners, continued

Bob Cooke Distinguished Service Award

Jennifer JeanBaptiste Rattliff Texas Christian University

Melanie Grice The University of Texas at Austin

Jo Cohn Texas Woman’s University

Jackie Kimbler Texas Tech University

Randy Henslee University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Frank Cloud Award for Excellence

Oklahoma State University

Presidential Service Plaque

Tanya Massey Oklahoma State University

*The winners of these awards are eligible to have their registration covered for SWACUHO 2018 in San Marcos, TX.

Don’t forget: keep watching the website, listserves, regional social media (Facebook – SWACUHO and Twitter - @SWACUHO), and the next issue of the newsletter when we will be announcing the selected topic for next year’s Frank Cloud Award for Excellence.

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Exhibitors

• ACUHO-I Foundation

• Adirondack Solutions

• American Contract Furniture

• Apartment Furnishings Co. Inc.

• BarnesGromatzkyKosarek

• Caldwell & Gregory

• CertaPro Painters

• College Products

• Collegiate Concepts Inc.

• CSC ServiceWorks Inc

• eRezlife Software

• EYP Architecture & Engineering

• Foliot Furniture

• Hi-Tech Bed Systems, Corp.

• Host Committee (2018)

• lntegra Seating

• KeyTrak, Inc.

• KSQ Design

• KWK Architects

• Leeder Furniture

• Mackey Mitchell Architects

• Maxient LLC

• MicroFridge

• Mustang Refrigerator Rental Company

• On Campus Marketing

• Pareto Technologies

• Philo

• PleaseDontSnore

• Randall Scott Architects

• Rentacrate/H itouch

• Roompact

• SALTO SYSTEMS

• Sauder Education

• Savoy Contract Furniture

• SCM Architects

• Skyfactor

• Southwest Contract

• Stantec

• StarRez

• The Brill Company

• The Scion Group

• TreanorHL

• University Laundry

• University Loft Company

• WASH Campus Laundry Systems

Let’s give the Exhibitors a big Thank You!

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Exhibitors, continued

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Greetings SWACUHO!

Thank you to everyone that attended the Mid-level reception at the conference. We had a fantastic turn out at the event, over 50 attendees mixed and mingled with fellow mid-level professionals. My goal for next year’s SWACUHO annual conference is to have more presentations geared toward mid-level professionals–so put your thinking caps on and start planning now for next year’s conference!

Brandi Bowen

Mid-level Committee Chair Assistant Director for Apartment Life The University of Texas at Arlington

Mid-level Report

Finally, we will be reviving the mid-level listserv. We are currently developing the listserv and will send notification when it is live. If you weren’t able to sign-up for the listserv during the conference, keep an eye out for an update on the SWACUHO listserv, as we will be notifying all SWACUHO members when the listserv goes live and how to be added to the listserv.

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Articles

Photo by Sarah Hughes Texas Tech University Senior Business Major Social Media Student Assistant University Student Housing Marketing and Communications


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SWACUHO First Experience

Cassie M. Cochran, M.S.

Lead Housing Advisor Texas Tech University

As I got off Flight 773, Lubbock to Little Rock, I didn’t quite know what to expect from my first professional conference. I never planned to work a day in the housing or hospitality industry, much less go to a housing conference, but there I was, standing in the lobby of the Little Rock Marriott, ready to register for my first SWACUHO Conference. My room wasn’t ready for me, so I decided to explore. My goal was to check in to the conference.

The hotel staff was welcoming and let me know how to get to the balcony for registration. Once there, the SWACUHO staff greeted

me, made me feel at home, and less nervous about the entire experience. I am terrible with names, but I do remember faces and if I ever see them again I’ll be sure to let them know how their hospitality set the mood for my entire conference.

My first event was Newcomers Meeting, followed by the Moderators Training. Top cap off the evening, we had the Opening Reception, Opening Banquet, and the Dessert Reception with the Exhibitors. The meetings were organized, the training was thorough. The banquet made me feel so welcome. Everyone I met was kind. It truly is a great place for networking and getting to know people that understand the experiences of your job every day.

The Keynote Address was fantastic (Namaste). Then, I participated in my first program. The subject was occupancy in halls and how it can have an effect on reports and communication within the university as a whole.

The last two programs of my day were “Housing and Residence

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SWACUHO First Experience

Life: A Tale of Two Philosophies” and “Data, Decisions, and Telling YOUR Story.” Both were great programs, well presented, and informative. Monday evening wrapped up at the Museum of Discovery, which was a blast! It brought out the inner science nerd in me. Thank you so much to SWACUHO and to the Museum for such an amazing experience.

On Tuesday, my fellow co-workers attended the Business Meeting. Due to a migraine, I could not attend the entirety of the meeting but it was successful and there was some drama concerning the run-offs for the President-Elect position (Congratulations to Adonis!)

After rest and needed migraine medicine, (thank goodness for modern medicine), I attended the Frank Cloud program on social media and the “Supervisory 101 Rock Solid Basics” program presentation. The Frank Cloud presentation was fantastic. It really displayed how you could use different social media platforms without having a Media or Marketing department in your school, and went into detail about

which programs were most useful to each media platform. The Supervisory program was top notch also. They gave ample time to speak, ask questions, and talk about their experiences.

The State Caucus meeting which really gave me insight to how different colleges and universities within our state viewed different topics going on with our government at the time. As an umpteenth generation Texan, I just really love meeting new people who are Texan or who are new to Texas.

Tuesday evening wrapped up with the Closing Reception and Banquet. Everything was set beautifully and the candy centerpieces were great. (I hate when you go to events and you can’t talk to someone because you can’t see over the centerpiece) Details weren’t missed and you could tell that the University of Arkansas at Little Rock truly took pride in all the details of the SWACUHO conference.

Now that you’ve read “A Week in the Life of Cassie at the SWACUHO Conference,” which

is clearly a working title, I can honestly say that I grew as a professional. I’ve only worked for Texas Tech Housing since August 2016. So, when they asked me to go to a conference in Little Rock, Arkansas I was more than a little uneasy about the idea. That uneasiness quickly turned to joy as I began getting closer to my supervisors and coworkers throughout the week. I learned about best practices, how to be a better advisor, and a professional overall. I want to thank Janis Haney and Sean Duggan for the opportunity to attend SWACUHO, and especially Janis for being a great mentor to me and for sticking with me through my learning curve.

This conference would be a great experience for anyone in the higher education housing industry. I hope to help in broaden the program topics to include not only Residence Life experiences but also the business side of things. Both sides of the industry are important and we rely on each other every day. It’s going to be great to see this association grow and progress to its fullest potential.


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Successful Relationships through Mentoring

Haley Hensley

Assistant Director of Student Activities for Greek Life & Residence Hall Director Southern Arkansas University

Research, Assessment and Information Committee

Student staff supervision is very familiar to professionals working in Student Affairs on any college campus. The relationships we build with our students are meaningful, intentional and most of the time, well-rounded. Have you ever wondered what exactly fuels those relationships or even what happens to the students that aren’t developed and nurtured the same way some of our staff is? Sherry L. Early, a Faculty Member and Interim Program Coordinator in Counseling and Higher Education at Ohio University published an article entitled, “An Examination of Mentoring Relationships and Leadership Capacity in Resident Assistants” in The Journal of College and University Student Housing. She asked some of those very same questions to begin her research into the topic and I, for one, was intrigued by her findings. Early stated that as student affairs professionals we “have various opportunities to establish mentoring relationships with Resident Assistants (RAs) and to help build their confidence in

their abilities as leaders” (Early, 2016). Early developed some questions focusing specifically on that mentor and mentee relationship between supervisors and their RA staff members comparing how their leadership abilities compared to those students that do not participate in these kinds of relationships. Of course, there were other factors that could play into the results, such as level of participation prior to entering college, race, gender, sexual orientation and grade point average but she went on to look at the relationships to see what was outside of these control factors.

Early utilized the Social Change Model of Leadership Development in her study and used a small sample of institutions to send the survey created out to their students electronically over a period from January 2009 through April 2009. There were 6,006 RAs in the sub-sample of the 333,482 students invited to participate in the study. The results were yielded from around 35% of the total. “Mentoring emerged as a

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Successful Relationships through Mentoringstrong positive predictor for all constructs of the Social Change Model and leadership capacity” (Early, 2016). She went on to find that mentored RAs had a higher leadership capacity scores over those that had not been mentored in their student staff role. Those RAs questioned with student affairs professionals as their mentors were reported with a higher mean of scores on both mentoring outcomes over those who did not have a student affairs mentor. Early stated that “housing and residence life administrators should strive to interact frequently in both informal and formal capacities with resident assistants” (Early, 2016). I completely agree.

As a student staff member, I will never forget the mentoring relationship I had with my Director of Housing and the Residence Hall Directors that I worked under. Those relationships built me up, directed me, gave me the extra shove I needed when I decided to go to graduate school, and ultimately helped me realize that Housing was where I wanted to

work as a professional. I saw plenty of other students come and go through our RA program who did not want nor try to build any kind of relationship with our director, no matter how many times he attempted to help them and guide them. Those students left the position and utilized their time in other ways but did not get involved on our campus in any other capacity. Then there were those that dove in head first into the mentoring relationship and became student government presidents, leading our student activities board and running our Residence Hall Association with ease. Those students have gone on to become successful leaders in their professional lives and have a team of people rallying behind them.

I look at my career now and know that I would not be where I am today if it were not for the “Housing Man” that gave me a chance and helped develop me into a well-rounded professional. Utilizing Early’s evidence-based information can “equip educators

and potential mentors…on the benefits of cultivating the leadership capacities of resident assistants” (Early, 2016). In turn, Early saw where this could possibly increase retention efforts and student satisfaction in their experiences throughout their college years. I still look to my former Housing Director as a mentor, even though he is now retired and I am the one sitting in a student affairs office and supervising the RAs. I strive to build that same kind of relationship with my RAs in order to help them become successful leaders and contributing members of society upon their graduation.

As professionals, I charge you to evaluate your mentoring relationships with your student staff and resident assistants. We have a unique opportunity as their supervisors to develop them, guide them, and give them the little something extra they may need to ensure they continue to be successful.

Reference

Early, S. L. (2016). An examination of mentoring relationships and leadership capacity in resident assistants. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 42(3), 52–64.


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Facilities 101–Water: Comfort and Domestic

For those dealing with large PLANT Systems like the Texas Tech campus, comprising numerous buildings, TTU is a large PLANT.

Not to confuse the matter, but many of the utilities for the TTU PLANT are generated and distributed from the Central Heating and Cooling Plant (CHACP I) near the north end of campus. Additionally there is another CHACP II located near UMC and HSC north of the Marsh Sharp Freeway.

Two types of water exist in a large campus like Texas Tech. DOMESTIC water and COMFORT water. The first is the most common, known as Domestic Water. Domestic water can be hot or cold.

Domestic Cold Water:

Domestic Cold water serves normal plumbing fixtures such as

• Sinks

• Toilets

• Showers

• Drinking fountains

Domestic Cold Water comes from the City water supply.

Domestic Cold water is similar to the Cold water in a home.

Domestic Hot Water:

• Domestic Hot Water primarily serves sinks and showers

• Domestic Hot water on campus is mostly made from domestic cold water coming into contact with the heat from STEAM in a heat exchanger.

• The steam is usually generated in large gas fired boilers in the CHACP I and pumped around campus in the 7 mile long tunnel system.

• There are just a few 30 gallon ELECTRIC hot water heaters on campus that also generate Domestic Hot Water. Most of these are found in the Residence Hall Staff Apartments.

Comfort Hot Water:

COMFORT Water is used in the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems (HVAC Systems) to produce hot and cold air to adjust the building’s room temperature.

• Comfort Hot Water is used to generate heat for the Heating system. (Unlike most homes which use a furnace to generate hot air.)

• Comfort Hot Water is made from Domestic Cold water which is treated and comes in contact

Mark R. McVay, P.E.

Associate Director of USH Facilities Texas Tech University University Student Housing

Drew Jahr

Assistant Director of USH Facilities Texas Tech University University Student Housing

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Facilities 101–Water: Comfort and Domestic

with the heat from steam in a different heat exchanger.

• This Comfort Hot Water is passed through piping coils. Air is forced over these Comfort hot water coils to generate hot air for the building’s Heating system.

Comfort Cold Water:

• Comfort Cold water is more commonly referred to as CHILLED WATER.

• Comfort Cold water (Chilled Water) is generated at the CHACP I and pumped around campus in the tunnel system.

• Chilled water is also passed through different piping coils. Air is forced over these comfort cold water coils to produces cool air for the building’s Air Conditioning system.

So when most people talk about hot and cold water they are usually referring to DOMESTIC water...like in a home. But at TTU, we also have COMFORT water which is used in HVAC systems… to keep us comfortable.

In review:

If STEAM is turned off to a building…there is not Domestic Hot water for hot showers and no Comfort Hot Water used for heat in the building.

If Chilled water is off to a building….there is not Domestic Cold water for the HVAC.

NOTES:

• Every Spring Break, the TTU CHACP I is turned off for annual maintenance on the Steam and Chilled Water generating equipment

• This results in no domestic hot water, no heating and no cooling.

• Domestic Cold water is still available since it does not rely on Steam or Chilled water.

For further explanation or for any questions, please contact:

Mark McVay: [email protected]

Drew Jahr: [email protected]


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10 Lessons Learned in Graduate School Through Classes, My Assistantship, and Overall Life

Olivia Stankey

Assistant Residential Community Educator for Academic and Wellness Initiatives

1. Graduate School is for YOU There are a variety of reasons why individuals attend college: wanting a specific career, society says so, it’s the next step, parents went, parents did not go, and many more. No matter the reason, most people find college enjoyable and have positive outcomes, but their initial reason is often external. That is different in graduate school. Graduate school needs to be an experience YOU want. It is a significant amount of work and there are sacrifices that come with that. Additionally, professors already know you are competent and believe you are able to do the work, otherwise they would not have admitted you to the program. Assignments then become a chance for you to explore a topic new to you or delve deeper into something you are passionate about. They are a chance for you to continue to improve your writing skills and understanding of the dynamics and interactions around you with coworkers and students. It is a very personal and individualized experience that, in my opinion, is well worth the time, but you have to do it for YOU. Otherwise, it is going to be that much harder.

2. Your Cohort Members Become Some of Your Greatest Friends I specifically looked for a cohort model in my graduate program. I got a little experience with this model in my undergraduate career and knew it would be beneficial at the graduate level. I was moving across the country and I needed people around me who understood what we were all going through, to celebrate the successes, and to comfort in the stressful moments of the process. Along the way, your cohort members have the chance to become your great friends. Take the time to reach out, hang out, and get to know each other. Graduate school is hard enough, do not make it harder by isolating yourself.

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10 Lessons Learned in Graduate School Through Classes, My Assistantship, and Overall Life

3. Your Professors Trust You When I first started graduate school, a professor told us that no one is going to hold your hand throughout this process. I both agree and disagree with her. I agree that no one is going to remind you about assignments and it is your responsibility to not only get your assignments done, but read the readings. You should also start your masters project or study for your comprehensive exams the same time as everything else. I disagree because your class sizes are so much smaller than in undergraduate, so there is really a chance to get to know the professor and them you. So, while it is not hand holding, your professor is going to notice if you are not there for class, if you are going through something personal, and more. They care about you because they get the opportunity to know you.

4. Spend Your Energy Wisely I spent a significant amount of my first year of graduate school focused on the similarities and differences between my graduate school and undergraduate school. I was under the assumption that more was standard across the field than actually is and this was both fascinating and frustrating. So, I am going to save you the time and energy. There are MANY things that are going to be different between your undergraduate institution and graduate institution, and that’s okay. Your fascinating moments are a cue that you might have found a new value or way of doing things you appreciate. Your frustrations are a cue to look for something that fits better when you search for your next position or experience. Oftentimes, you will have both. I did. I learned over the last two years what I want in my next institution and job experience and what I do not want. That is normal. Overall, pick your battles, keep your eyes open, learn often, and reflect on your experience.

5. Be Yourself I spent my entire first year of graduate school trying to be what I thought my institution and department wanted me to be. It was EXHAUSTING! And it is totally not worth it and uses unnecessary energy. It also lowers your mental health and sense of belonging. The beginning of my second year, I made a decision – be myself and be okay with the reactions others have. It was scary and at times embarrassing, but I would never go back. Feeling like you can be yourself at work, and not just at home, is a freeing experience. I am much closer to my staff also because they got to know me also, the real me. They sometimes laugh at my jokes and sometimes do not, and that’s okay.


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6. Office Politics are REAL One of my peers in undergraduate school also went into Student Affairs, but a year ahead of me. The biggest piece of advice she gave me was to learn how office politics worked because they are real. She was 100% right. There are always people in office settings that like or do not like each other, always decisions that someone disagrees with, and everyone has at least one day where they are at their wits end. I have four pieces of advice for navigating these waters.

• Observe and learn before you act. There is always something more you can learn to make sure you are responding in the best way with the least chance of stepping in a pitfall.

• It is really hard to stay mad at someone you know. Take the time to get to know your coworkers and then, when someone is late to a meeting or makes a decision, you are much more likely to assume good will instead of being upset.

• Pick your battles. Know your values and what you need to stand for, but also be ready to accept the consequences for standing up for what you believe in. Standing up for what you believe in, and being okay with the consequences takes a lot of the fear out of the experience, because you know that what you are standing up for is a core value, rather than something that upsets you.

• Find a mentor outside your department. Having someone outside the office politics environment provides a safe place for you to process how you feel about a decision, while also having someone give you perspective and learning moments you might not get from venting to a friend.

7. How to Balance Wearing Many “Hats” When you are an undergraduate student, even working for an on-campus department, you are mainly seen as a student. You get to wear this “hat” everywhere you go, and everyone understands that this “hat” comes first. This is not the case in graduate school with an assistantship. You wear many different “hats”. For example, your professor in Introduction to Student Affairs may also be the Director of Career Services on campus. You may be a student in class, a committee member at work, and somewhere in between when you seek out Career Services for help with the job search process. You may also intern for that department at one point in your graduate coursework. How to balance this? Watch what you say and how you say it. This is a pitfall I fell into my first semester. I was used to challenging professors to further my learning, but this is difficult when you have to see the same person in a different collaborative role the next morning. Know that when you walk into a room in our field, everyone in the room has multiple roles, wearing multiple “hats”. You need to know all roles are hearing what you say when you say it. Still advocate for what you need, but be strategic.

10 Lessons Learned in Graduate School Through Classes, My Assistantship, and Overall Life, continued

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8. Where to Vent and Process Feelings There is a difference between venting and gossiping. The first is necessary, the second is not. I would recommend having at least two people to vent to: a mentor outside your department and a friend who does not work in the field. The first can help you learn from your frustrations and experiences, knowing that you are in a place of growth in your graduate experience. They also work in the field overall and can provide insight to assist that growth without spreading gossip. The second can help you process feelings of anger, sadness, frustration, etc. with support and not causing them to get upset about the same thing since they do not work in the field. Both of these venting routes have low risk of being seen as gossip and give you the chance to process as you need to.

9. Values and Environment Matter One of my mentors told me that a good fit at a university or environment follows the 80-20 rule. This means that your values and beliefs line up with the department, university, state, etc. at a rate of 80%. Not perfect, but well over 50-50. The other 20% are ways in which your environment values and beliefs differ, keeping the position and location interesting, giving you a chance to grow, and giving you a chance to teach others. There is not going to be a place that you agree with 100% all of the time, so the 80-20 rule is a good rule of thumb when considering your options and next step.

10. Encouraging Mentors Make a Difference Lastly, you want your mentors to not only challenge you, but also to support you. I have two different mentors to fit each of these roles. One of my mentors teaches me ways in which I can grow, talks me through moments when I am frustrated or do not understand something happening in the department. He sometimes provides support, but mostly promotes my learning, growth, and development. My other mentor always lifts me up. Every time I see him, he tells me what great work I am doing and how I am a valued member of the team. It is important to have both of these areas covered, whether in one mentor or two, because you need someone to help you grow so you do not stagnate, but you also need someone to bring you up. Graduate school is hard; having support helps.

10 Lessons Learned in Graduate School Through Classes, My Assistantship, and Overall Life, continued


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Conference Photo Gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/153406835@N04/

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www.swacuho.org

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